Differential fluid lubricates the differential in all-wheel drive (AWD), four-wheel drive (4WD), rear-wheel drive (RWD), and front-wheel drive (FWD) vehicles. In most cases, front-wheel drive vehicles have a transaxle instead of a separate differential, but there are some instances where FWD vehicles have a stand-alone differential. The purpose of the differential is to deliver power to the wheels while allowing them to turn at different speeds. As your vehicle completes a turn, each wheel covers a different distance. The two wheels on the inside of the turn travel a shorter distance than the two wheels on the outside of the turn. Similarly, the two front wheels travel a different distance than the two back wheels. The differential allows your vehicle to make turns smoothly despite these differences, and differential fluid keeps the moving parts of the differential lubricated. Your differential needs clean differential fluid to ensure a smooth ride at all times.

Why Should You Have Differential Fluid Change Services Performed at Coffey Automotive?

Differential fluid reduces the heat caused by the friction of moving parts inside the differential. But friction and heat will progressively break down differential fluid. Worn-out differential fluid can lead to unreliable differential performance, noise, excessive wear, breakdown, or failure. Complete differential failure will result in your entire differential system needing to be replaced. Always be sure to refer to the owner’s manual in your vehicle when determining the proper service intervals for changing your differential fluid. A differential fluid service prepares your vehicle for new fluid by draining out the old fluid and replacing it with fresh differential fluid. During a fluid change, our service staff may inspect other differential components, like gears and shafts, for excessive wear so that the differential continues to work properly.